Category: Peace

It’s Friday…but Sunday’s Coming

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Where I live, Spring is in full bloom. I always feel excited when the weather becomes warmer, the birds begin to sing, and the grass becomes green again. There is something special about this time of year. Spring brings hope for renewal, after the long, cold winter.

Thinking about the difference in Winter and Spring brings the miracle of Easter to mind. Jesus was crucified on Good Friday, sentenced to death by mere humans. Stop for a minute and think about that. Jesus, the precious Son of Man, was sentenced to die by Jewish and Roman authorities. After they crucified Jesus, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him (Luke 23:34-35). The soldiers mocked him (Luke 23:36).  I can only imagine how they celebrated.

It was about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he said this, he breathed his last breath. (Luke 23:44-46). Jesus’ body was taken down, wrapped in linen cloth and placed in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had been laid. While death might be compared to Winter, it wasn’t that way for Jesus. His resurrection, His Spring, was already planned.

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning, stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ Then they remembered his words (Luke 24:1-8).

Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is death. Jesus took our place, and died for our sins on the cross. His body was broken and his blood was shed so that we can be forgiven for our sins and receive an eternal life in Heaven. John 3:16 tells us “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. To receive this forgiveness and eternal life, we have to ask forgiveness of our sins and strive to obey him. Jesus tells us in John 5:24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to light.”

What good news!

It’s Friday…but Sunday’s coming!

Easter,Jesus,Christian,Joy

Is It Well With Your Soul? Part Two

In our previous post, we discussed the hymn “It is Well With My Soul”, written by Horatio Spafford. He could say all is well with his soul. Even though he had faced numerous tragedies in his life, including the deaths of his five children, he still relied on God for his strength.

In this post, I would like for us to focus on the words to the hymn. Read these words, and notice the depth of Spafford’s faith.

  1. When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
    When sorrows like sea billows roll;
    Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
    It is well, it is well with my soul.

    • Refrain:
      It is well with my soul,
      It is well, it is well with my soul.
  2. Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
    Let this blest assurance control,
    That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
    And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
  3. My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—
    My sin, not in part but the whole,
    Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
    Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
  4. For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
    If Jordan above me shall roll,
    No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
    Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
  5. But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
    The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
    Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
    Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!
  6. And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
    The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
    The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
    Even so, it is well with my soul.

Is it well with your soul? The words of this hymn are as true today, as when they were written in 1873. We have to give up trying to control our life, and give control to the one who knows what we need, even before we know. He created our inmost being and He knitted us together in our mother’s womb. He knows our every move. He knows our every thought. Psalm 139:1-13.

If you want the kind of peace that Spafford writes about, pray and open your heart to the grace and mercy of our Savior. Admit you sins, and pray to be forgiven. Acknowledge that you believe in God. Keep praying and asking for His guidance over your life. He will be there with you, through every storm of life, if you keep your eyes and heart on Him.